Every Person's Song
by Tigerdust
Summary: Various characters and pairings seen through songs about or for them. Will shift back and forth through memory and is bittersweet, but lovely. Started with Janto and Owen and snowballed from there.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't like Jack to be out of Ianto's sight, not exactly. There was a minuscule chance he lost the tabs he kept on the Captain every so often, but not a very high one. Ianto thought as he crossed each stair leading to that office. He thought of every encounter they had there, down below, at his modest flat, in the Archives. He thought of that night after Suzie had almost absorbed Gwen.

_I won't send roses_

_Or hold the door_

_I won't remember_

_Which dress you wore_

And there, on the desk, lay Jack's mp3 player. He had a large playlist, the volume excessive and nearly amounting to two full eight gig players. Ianto wasn't sure even Jack knew all the songs on the player. Of course, he had wise tastes and Ianto was tempted to just take one peak. How could he resist? The man he longed for was an enigma. But it wasn't completely his fault. Ianto supposed being immortal created that aloofness. It was a necessity. Otherwise, your heart would break every other second.

_My heart is too much in control_

_The lack of romance in my soul_

_Will turn you grey kid_

_So stay away kid_

The blinking turned his head. Ianto set the coffee mug down very slowly. He saw that the player was charging, ready for use. It winked at him, taunted him. Often, in the night, Jack would break down and would whisper a word or a phrase in his sleep. Not enough to tell Ianto much, but after awhile, enough to peace together some of the mumbles. Sometimes they were about Torchwood, sometimes about Grey or the Doctor, sometimes about people like Estelle or Jack. But it was always someone other than himself.

_Forget my shoulder_

_When you're in need_

_Forgetting birthdays is guaranteed_

_And should I love you_

Ianto wasn't sure what he would do being in charge. Surely bearing the brunt of such a task does take its tole. Ianto took it all with a grain of salt. The man lived to flirt; it was his mask. The bravado that hid the pain like a child under his great heroic coat. The emptiness held by rough assurance that he would survive and watch everyone die. He would watch Ianto die one day too. Well, this is Torchwood, Ianto thought as he shivered. Stranger things have been known to happen.

_You would be_

_The last to know_

_I won't send roses_

_And roses suit you so_

Ianto slid into the Captain's chair, noticing that he had never quite moved it from the viewpoint of Ianto's coffee machine. In the old days, he could have blamed it on Tosh, her computer was in the direct line of vision. But these weren't the old days. The leather felt cooling against the heat of Ianto's suit. He wore the suit for the benefit of his establishment as well as enjoying his own look on it. Vanity, thy name is Ianto Jones. Ianto chuckled as he lifted the headphones resolutely and propped his feet up. There would be hell to pay if Jack found him listening to his stash of music, more privately guarded than what was on his hard drive, and so he added another infraction to the list. It's not like he wouldn't clean up after himself.

_My pace is frantic_

_My temper cross_

_With words romantic _

_I'm at a loss_

He set the player to random and two words came up. The playlist that he had randomized belonged to...Ianto Jones? His brow furrowed. Jack had a playlist named after him. That was not unflattering, he supposed, and he readjusted his tie. He was wearing that tie Jack loved. His dark blue tie with broad pink stripes and tiny maroon stripes you had to squint to see. It was a little disconcerting and charming, such candid affection, until he looked at the playlist before. It made sense then. He had a Torchwood playlist. Each operative he had known, thirty on this list, seemed to warrant their own. Ianto wasn't sure if he should continued to feel flattered or not. He shrugged. As a matter of security, he was more worried about the SUV tearing through town and less about the Captain's mp3 files.

_I'd be the first one to agree_

_But I'm preoccupied with me_

_And it's inbred kid_

_So keep your head, kid_

Ianto thought that discretion is, of course, the better part of valour. Luckily for him though, discretion and valour had taken a nice little holiday as of recent. Each day without two people to replace Owen and Tosh had been dirtier than the last. The Rift hadn't closed or had a holiday since Grey had died. Ianto thought for a moment. Probably until the day he passed as well. There would always be the world, turning and moving. Ianto Jones was just another name and another road block in it. No, Ianto thought, I'm more. I'm more because I choose to be.

_In me you'll find things_

_Like guts and nerve_

_But not the kind things_

_That you deserve_

He listened to the first song and it stopped him. He felt the flush, those burning embers of a blush. His Captain wasn't watching him, but his presence was here. That great big coat flapped in an invisible wind. Those arms crossed, inviting and yet wary. The suspenders that made a little snapping motion when you teased him about how he had lost Naked Hide and Seek. Those trousers, tailored to perfection and those boots that made that signature Harkness noise when he ran. Light and yet authoritative. That was his Captain; something more in each quirk.

_And so while there's a fighting chance_

_Just turn and go_

_I won't send roses_

_And roses suit you so_

No, Ianto thought. Maybe he'd never send me roses. It would be a liability. He'd send me stopwatches and hockey sticks; paper clips and suggestively placed ads in copier magazines, but he'd never send me roses. That wasn't the style of the man he felt things for. Jack was a good man put into many extraordinary situations. He would endure so much. Ianto couldn't let him feel alone though. He'd do as much as he could to help that.

Ianto Jones smiled. Maybe he'd send the Captain roses instead.

C/N: This is from the play "Mack and Mabel" and someone told me that this would be a good "break-up song". Looking at the lyrics, I disagreed. I thought this was a perfect Jack loving Ianto song. It doesn't hurt that I've actually watched JB sing it on youtube. And c'mon. Jack's probably got a thing for Broadway anyways, right? Oh, I don't own it either.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen only half-wondered how she got herself into these situations. Its not like she invited emotional chaos to her doorstep. Okay, she thought, we just have to be realistic. Gwen had taken it upon herself to learn all that she could about anything in the Archives. Anything that didn't pertain to medicine or autopsies. She couldn't pour herself into binary and every click of her keyboard brought on a noxious feeling.

_I wonder what it's like to be the rain maker_

_I wonder what it's like to know that I made the rain_

There really was no hope for any of them. Shaking hands with Jack Harkness is almost like shaking hands with the devil himself. Well, she thought, it doesn't hurt that he's almost as charming and good looking. The devil probably wouldn't have to do much work. There were three large filing cabinets ahead of her she hadn't looked through yet. Save for Ianto's work, they would probably be rusted together at some point.

_I'd store it in boxes with little yellow tags on every one_

_And you can come and see them when I'm done_

_When I'm done_

Gwen had tried going out for air once or twice, but she almost preferred the mustiness now. She mused that maybe she was beginning to understand Owen's like for the indoor, the safe, the clean. His name stung a little less every day as she imagined it would. He was like a point, or a habit, that was fixed but growing dull and maybe a bit fuzzier each time. Owen never really approved of the Archives. He accused Ianto of trying to make him sick. He had fumed for a week! In response, Ianto had mysteriously replaced his favorite biscuits with Tosh's flavor.

_I wonder what's it like to be a superhero_

_I wonder where I'd go if I could fly around downtown_

The first drawer on the dull grey cabinet sprang out efficiently and she marveled at how feminine Ianto's handwriting was. Everyone else was too hurried to do things properly. Ianto was hurried too, but took a few moments. She was attracted to the way he crossed his t's. It was inventive and hid a spark to it. She was distracting herself. The names of past Torchwood operatives were all in this file, all as far back as Ianto could find notes and family histories.

_From some other planet_

_I'd get this funky high on yellow sun_

_Boy, I bet my friends would all be stunned_

_They're stunned, yeah_

In the old days, the Rift had been monitored, well, loose term as it was, by different families or by churches claiming demonic influence. Gwen shook her head, humanity was sometimes incredibly silly, or stupid or maybe both. Denial was a good term, a correct term. That's what she thought on the subject.

_Straight up_

_What did you hope to learn about here?_

_If I was someone else, would this all fall apart?_

_Strange where were you_

_When we started this game_

_I wish the real world would just stop hassling me_

There was one cabinet that was hard to pry open. Gwen found this suspicious and continued to pull until there was a small tinge of sweat and a dull ache in her arms. She looked around and sighed, pulling a pin from her hair. Her tongue roved over her teeth as she worked and the lock popped. Old James Bond dvds spilled from the drawer.

_I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho_

_I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said_

This was Owen's stash, she realized with horror. Even dead, he was still here. Of course, it hadn't occurred to her the Ianto would just let a memory like his pass. It was all cataloged and categorized, but there were some things on long nights that had to remain here for him, for them all.

Well I'd shout an order I think we're out of this

_Man, get me some_

_Boy, don't make me wanna change my tone_

_My tone, My tone, yeah_

Owen was always disappointed that he was never James Bond. He had gotten the girl once, or twice if you counted Dianne. He had shot at a sports car while Gwen drove, and had been excellent at it. He had been everything but in charge. When Jack had left, Gwen had taken control. He had tried to humour her, but he was so broken up that he hadn't the patience really. All he had to console himself with was weevils, field missions, and somehow seeing her as M, which had been more and more difficult to do.

_Straight up_

_What did you hope to learn about here?_

_If I was someone else, would this all fall apart?_

They had all been broken up over Jack's leaving, but Owen had held himself more responsible than anyone. Gwen, of course, shouldered so much of that blame. Ianto and Tosh had blame as well, but it was less and, well, without them maybe they'd have let Jack live and not die by Abaddon.

She had seen him once in a tuxedo. Owen had been dashing and charming, but he had always been eclipsed by Jack in suit. Everyone was eclipsed by Jack. Gwen wondered, what would have happened if he'd ever had had that chance to lead?

_Strange where were you_

_When we started this game_

_I wish the real world would just stop hassling me_

She continued to dig, trying to place the discs back into the drawer and shut it. Beneath a small pile she found an old cd in a plain case with the faded logo of Matchbox Twenty on it. She smiled and tucked it into her pocket. She decided to listen to it on her way home.

C/N: It's perfect Owen. And it's a song by Matchbox 20 called "The Real World" from their first album whose name I've forgotten. I own nothing, btw.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhys tried not to look at the window as the gentle mist poured little pinging sounds of rain onto his car, in an odd sort of rhythm. When he had been a lad, he had loved the smell of the rolling green hills. He had imagined himself tearing up and down them on a motorbike, or even just by foot. But that had been a long time ago.

_She's like the wind through my tree  
She rides the night next to me_

He bit down on his lip, hating the very sight of them. They offered a false sense of security, a lull of beauty in a very ugly world. A world that he had been ignorant of, and sometimes wished that it could remain that way. But it wouldn't. Not with Gwen now as his wife.

_She leads me through moonlight  
Only to burn me with the sun_

When he was young, Rhys Williams had been an adventurer. He had fancied himself after pirates and gone up and down the docks, when he could get to them, swinging his imaginary sword and watching all the deck-hands move ropes with their well-tanned and muscled arms. He had admired them so.

_She's taken my heart  
But she doesn't know what she's done_

Every now and then he'd catch a glance of himself and wonder what the hell he was doing. Gwen didn't need him and he'd almost lost her to that damn buccaneer Jack Harkness, her Captain. He saw the stars in her eyes when she spoke of him. And he was pretty sure that he'd never be spoken of that way.

_Feel her breath on my face  
Her body close to me_

He was Rhys Williams, the man who had sat with her for supper so many nights after that first one in the college canteen. He was the best friend of the first man she had dated in college. He was the jokester, the somewhat cleaner of the pair. He was always overshadowed, but diligent to his studies and constantly friendly. When his best friend had cheated, Gwen and Rhys had moved on, to each other.

_Can't look in her eyes  
She's out of my league_

That seemed like a decade ago, when she was studying law and criminal justice and he was studying psychology. He found the human mind fascinating, wasn't quite sure why, but still found it intriguing nonetheless. The mythos of humanity. He had never used his intelligence and had never been one to prattle about making others feel stupid. Rhys felt he owed that to humanity.

_Just a fool to believe  
I have anything she needs  
She's like the wind_

He knew that Gwen was doing a lot of good and took a very humorous viewpoint to the things that had happened ever since that alien whale had been found, when he had been dropped into a much larger world than he was programmed to handle. It was like having only five channels of tele and then finding out you had access to twenty rugby matches at one time. To say the least, and with the most amount of tact, it was overwhelming.

_I look in the mirror and all I see  
Is a young old man with only a dream_

But he did love Gwen. He loved when he could be there for her. He loved supporting her and watching the strength and courage flicker in her eyes. She had the mind of puzzle maker and was keen on fitting together parts to make a whole. Gwen adored Agatha Christie. Rhys smiled while he drove, remembering the Christmas Eve when they had visited her family and he had given her the leather bound first edition of "Murder at the Vicarage."

_Am I just fooling myself  
That she'll stop the pain  
Living without her  
I'd go insane_

Rhys Williams chuckled as he went through the static channels of the radio. They almost hadn't made it out of the car. It was rare nowadays, for her to look at him like that. She was shell-shocked and tried to cover it with a mask of proficiency. He was there, waiting for the day when Gwen would smile again, and her nose would wrinkle ever so slightly.

_Feel her breath on my face  
Her body close to me_

Until the day, Rhys knew he would be her rock as much as he could. He was the normalcy in her life. He was the yardstick for humanity, in some strange way. And he loved her, in spite of Jack Harkness. He loved her deeply, in spite of Torchwood. And he would marry her again in an instant, in spite of nostrovites.

_Can't look in her eyes  
She's out of my league_

Gwen Williams. Rhys smiled as he pulled back into his parking space from lunch and flipped off the Patrick Swayze song from the radio. He hoped she loved the sound of it as much as he did.

_Just a fool to believe  
I have anything she needs  
She's like the wind_


	4. Chapter 4

_Cherish is the word I use to describe  
All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside  
You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you_

Jack was harmlessly rifling about. There was no Rift activity and he didn't feel like contemplating himself anymore. Coming back from the rooftop, he decided to see if Ianto wanted lunch. He had a hankering for chips. But there was no Ianto in the tourist office.

_You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you  
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could mold you  
Into someone who could cherish me as much as I cherish you_

The place was empty and still. He imagined what it must have been like for Gwen. So many questions hanging in the air and then Ianto standing there, beckoning her into a new existence. She hadn't really been ready then, but no one could really be ready for Torchwood.

_Perish is the word that more than applies  
To the hope in my heart each time I realize  
That I am not gonna be the one to share your dreams_

It was a strange existence, a casual existence she had adopted. Jack mused that she had adapted well too. He wasn't so sure that the alien gas or the ghost machine had been flukes. Bits of her character had come and been refined by the job. She had gone from meek to in charge. Jack often wondered how she had pulled the rug away from Owen. It never occurred to him that the young medic might have been in so much shock that he wouldn't have cared.

_That I am not gonna be the one to share your schemes  
That I am not gonna be the one to share what seems to be  
The life that you could cherish as much as I do yours_

Gwen was very strong and beautiful. Jack would never deny that. He had come back and just assumed things hadn't changed. I mean, after all, the year had seemed to rewind itself. People hadn't died. Torchwood had carried on. But to come back and find her bound to Rhys was a shock for him. She needed someone to match her strength, her wit, her charm and improvisational skill. Wait. Jack smirked, he was talking about himself again.

_Oh, I'm beginning to think that man has never found  
The words that could make you want me_

Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ianto's tourist computer was lit. He tip-toed around the desk as if Ianto himself were watching his every move. At this point, Ianto would surely know that Jack was here. He very innocently began moving through files, trying to find something incriminating he could use against Ianto. He failed.

_That have the right amount of letters, just the right sound  
That could make you hear, make you see  
That you are driving me out of my mind_

His thoughts turned back to Gwen as he went through pages of actual tourist information that Ianto had in his history. He thought of the incident with Estelle and the fairies. It had been Gwen that had led the silent treatment against him. She hadn't been prepared to understand that some costs occurred in this war for peace. In some ways, she'd never understand that. Jack just shook his head. She had so much humanity within her. Gwen Williams was what Torchwood had needed.

_Oh, I could say I need you, but then you'd realize  
That I want you, just like a thousand other guys_

It was almost too easy to imagine her leading Torchwood while he was gone. But it was hard to imagine her in that wedding dress. He didn't like to think of it, imagining what she might have said to his nostrovite clone. The things she felt for him. He knew it wasn't easy because he was charming. It was hard not to fall for him. Jack wasn't sure if he should call that fact or egotism. But it was more than ego because of the truth behind it.

_Who'd say they loved you with all the rest of their lies  
When all they wanted was to touch your face, your hands  
And gaze into your eyes_

But somehow Jack would always have Ianto, tapping him on the shoulder as he danced with Gwen. Ianto, to remind him that she was somewhere far away. Ianto, to remind him that he wasn't alone. He had Ianto and Rhys had Gwen. Somehow, that was right and it made him feel that things could be okay. That one day, they'd be retconned and yet he and Ianto would remain to guard the Earth for the Doctor while he was amongst the stars.

_Cherish is the word I use to describe  
All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside  
You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you_

Jack moved the cursor down to a blinking tab. His eyes squinted as he found himself in Ianto's media player, waiting for instruction on which song to play next. Priceless, Jack thought, simply priceless. He bit his lip and his eyes sparkled with mischief. This was pay-off. He clicked on a button and a song began to fill the speakers behind the beaded curtain. Ianto's classic musical taste filled the room, causing Jack to smile a little broader.

_You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you  
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could mold you  
Into someone who could cherish me as much as I cherish you  
And I do cherish you_


	5. Chapter 5

Ianto looked up, startled, by the sound of Myfanwy shrieking. The alarm wasn't going off and she was indoors as usual. It was the way she preferred to live, hunting nocturnally. But at that moment, she was shrieking and her wings were flapping about. Ianto left the security of Jack's office to tend to her.

_Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.  
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your sould to bleed._

"Come now. What's all this noise, girl? Oh. I see." Ianto noticed some scratches on her legs, which were skinnier than a less domestic prehistoric bird would have had. He whistled softly as he tended the wound and broke up a chocolate bar into bits. She calmed down as he pressed his hand to the wound. Her beak clipped the top of his head affectionately.

_Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.  
I say love, it is a flower, and you it's only seed._

As Ianto moved back down the ladder and down into the Archives, he noticed the echo of his heels and didn't cry for the first time. In that moment, he knew he was moving on. Even though her terminal still blinked perpetually in its soft blue light. Even though no one would ever use that computer again and someday, most likely soon, it would end up in storage.

_It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.  
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance._

Myfanwy let out a soft flap of her wings, enjoying the feel of movement amongst her refurbished nest. Ianto had spent a solid amount of time giving her comfort and nurturing her after Tosh had passed away. His method of dealing had many benefits for his prehistoric companion. She was happy to feel secure and at home after all the explosions. She had been frightened for him, for herself.

_It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give,  
and the sould afraid of dyin' that never learns to live._

The flapping of her wings had unforeseen side effects. Ianto didn't notice that he began humming and that echoed all the way down into the vaults. It was low and soft, some song he had heard once at a funeral but couldn't remember all the words to. It had been moving and serious, triumphant but sad. Much like Tosh had been.

Myfanwy had watched Tosh with interest. She was smart and sharp; often leaning on the doctor for opinion and friendship. Even an animal could see how they pined and connected, it almost baffled her sometimes how Tosh could want Owen. For all his faults, they did share a passion that not even Ianto had known about.

The wind carried itself from her wings into the hot house. Tosh and Owen had been kindred spirits in many ways. A search for knowledge, an unorthodox caring for the human race, even if Owen hid it most of time through self-abuse, and an unlikely knack for intelligence and openness. Tosh was easier to spot in victory, huddled with her binary numbers and her alien codes. She tried not to thrive off of praise, but knew when she wasn't being noticed. She was smart enough to know that it hurt her.

_When the night has been too lonely  
and the road has been to long,  
and you think that love is only  
for the lucky and the strong,_

She shared alienation with Owen too. She had been too smart, it had almost become a curse. It drove the compassion and others out. She had a keen eye and could not stand more than small amounts of bullocking from her peers at university. She demanded excellence of herself and others around her. It was easier being with maths. No emotion, no attachment. No one to leave behind either. No one to doubt her genius.

Jack had seen it, but they had never been close. He was too much of an enigma and didn't understand her culture, where to be a smart woman was more of a hassle than a gift. At least, the unmarried ones of Tosh's age. That's why her family had fled to England, she mused when she thought of it.

_Just remember in the winter  
far beneath the winter snows_

In the far corner was a small plant, unnoticed by most and now shifting in a small burst of stale wind. It had been their project. An alien cutting that had come through the Rift. Owen had claimed he was using it to study the vegetation habits of its planet of origin. But he had grown it with Tosh and had muttered the word beautiful when no one else was around.

_Lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring_

It was beginning to wilt from lack of care and a solemn petal or two drifted down. Owen hadn't left notes and Ianto couldn't bear to snip the flower away just yet. But Owen and Tosh had worked on it together. It had given her drive and purpose outside of her computer and had made him momentarily more compassionate and attentive to her. Some might say that blue alien rose brought them together. But only just briefly.

_Becomes the rose._


	6. Chapter 6

_Maybe this time_

_I'll be lucky_

_Maybe this time, he'll stay_

Ianto was tending to his cuts and bruises. The weevils had been in a particularly foul mood after the jazz concert and not even Jack had anticipated how brutal they had been prepared to be. He sighed to mask the pain in the hissing peroxide running through and cleaning his cuts. There was the agony of the relief that followed with the pressure of the bandage.

_Maybe this time_

_For the first time_

_Love won't hurry away _

The Hub all around him was lit by computer screens solely. The light still hurt his eyes a bit. Well, you'd be a bit sensitive when knocked around by a maniac wielding a cymbal, wouldn't you? Ianto thought of Jack. He didn't relish the idea of bleating for his lover, but the more he thought of risque things and that soothing touch...let's just say the hissing wasn't because of the pain anymore.

_He will hold me fast_

_I'll be home at last_

It was inevitable. Falling for the exciting and irrepressible Jack Harkness was like waiting for winter to steal your breath or waiting for a pay raise to be put in a higher tax bracket. Those dimples, those roguish bangs, the way his ears perked when he thought of an innuendo. Ianto laughed to himself at the thought about mushrooms in the board room. Thinking of Jack eased his pain and embarrassment. How was that possible?

_Not a loser anymore_

_Like the last time and the time before_

As if granting a wish or hearing a bell, he came wordlessly. Well, maybe not wordlessly. But that sounds pretty, doesn't it?

"How are you feeling?"

"Could've been worse, sir."

"Ianto..."

"Really, just major scrapes and bruises. I'm assuming Rhys is caring for Gwen."

"I sent them both home for a day. Best thing after an attack like that is rest. And I believe we're overdue for it."

"We sir?"

"You heard me, correctly. Now march straight down that hatch, Ianto Jones and into bed."

"In any other time, sir."

"Ianto, I'm taking the couch. You need sleep."

"But if I need you?" Ianto moved from the table and leaned slightly, brushing gently with his shoulder against Jack. The breath stilled between the two.

"I'll be there."

"Promise?"

"One I can keep." Jack watched Ianto move through the Hub and into his office, shutting lights along the way. There was something so graceful and full of tact in the way he moved. Sure, he was noble and yes he was organized, but there was something about the way he walked that drove Jack insane. It was purpose and style and all the things he missed from the forties. It was that night in the dance hall when the doors blew open.

_Everybody loves a winner_

_So nobody loved me_

Jack's fingers moved to that little dimple between his bottom lip and his chin. He blinked and settled into the darkness, wrapping himself in thoughts of Ianto. He punished himself often enough with thoughts of losing the brilliant young Welshman. But tonight, he allowed himself the room to feel like this moment was forever and that they'd both live. That just this second time, everyone would live.

_Lady peaceful, lady happy_

_That's what I long to be_

Ianto knew the moment he'd be there. As he lowered himself down into the Captain's bed, Ianto knew precisely at 1:32 in the morning, when he went to change his bandages from the supply near the wardrobe, Jack's hand would move in rhythm with the rungs. That Jack's feet would disturb the area near Ianto's knees. And Ianto would pretend to be asleep. But not for long.

_When the odds are in my favor_

_Somethings bound to begin_

_It's gonna happen, happen to me_

_Maybe this time, I'll win_

And so it was. At precisely 1:33 in the morning, Jack was lifting the bandage gently away from Ianto's forearm, allowing the sleeve to be pushed upward. Fingers brushed against silk blend. Ianto grit his teeth and felt for the Egyptian cotton sheet as Jack's lips moved. He blew slowly on the cut and the younger man gasped. Ianto barely contained his want to throw himself at his Captain.

"Do any of the other bandages need to be checked?"

"Left kneecap."

"Ah. I remember. Defending Gwen with a bar stool. Got a splinter as your reward."

No, Captain, this is my reward. Ianto didn't dare vocalize that thought. It would lead to too much.

Ianto felt the hand begin to crawl amongst the thin hair on his legs. "Better cut the pants, sir. Wouldn't want to..."

_Everybody loves a winner_

_So nobody loves me_

Jack smirked as he looked into Ianto's warring eyes, trying to avoid the temptation and yet not let it stop. He knew that feeling well. "Wouldn't want an infection." Jack moved with maddening accuracy up the tailored line of the pant from the ankle to just above the knee.

"Keep going."

"Yes sir." Ianto fell back on the bed as Jack called him sir.

He felt Jack's breath on his leg, moving upward. It ended suddenly. "Can't have these pants uneven. I'd best start on the other leg."

"No. Bandage check now."

_Lady peaceful, Lady happy_

_That's what I long to be_

Jack smirked as Ianto began to fall apart. He knew that Ianto didn't particularly need or want the bandages, he was just living the protocol. But Jack did know what Ianto needed and wanted at that moment. The medicine only 51st century pheromones could give.

_When all the odds are in my favor_

_Somethings bound to begin_

Ianto felt Jack's lashes sweep up his ankles to his knee and past the scrapes. He was startled to find that a moment later, Jack was looking into his stormy eyes with those intense light blues of his own. Ianto gulped slightly, overtaken by the pheromones nearly instantly.

_It's gonna happen, happen sometime_

"Dr. Harkness, I'm very sick. What would you recommend?"

_Maybe this time, maybe this time_

"Only the best medicine. You've been playing too rough, Mr. Jones. You need a tender hand to guide your recovery."

_Maybe This Time_

Jack's hand moved from scratch to scratch, caressing it and sending Ianto into a chorus of expression. Jack's lips moved to the buttons of his shirt as he swept the vest into the corner of the bed.

_I'll Win_


	7. Chapter 7

Gwen never knew what to expect as she headed into the tourist office. Even after two and a half years, an immortal boss, a nostrovite wedding, Cyberwomen, and cannibals Gwen never had any idea what she might be walking into. She gripped the doorknob for a second and stood frozen against it. So easy. To leave would be so easy. To take one pill and forget it all, just go back and deal with the human scum.

_A thousand times I've seen you standing_

_Gravity like a lunar landing_

_Make me want to run til I find you_

_I shout the world away from here_

_Drift to you, you're all I hear_

_As everything we know fades to black_

But she'd never do that. As Gwen hurried through the sliding brick doorway known as the Torchwood entrance, this feeling of adrenaline passed over her. The sound of the alarm was an old friend. The rolling cog door offered strength and solace. The sight of Jack shirtless and Ianto adjusting his tie as he left the boss' office was strangely comforting. It was normal somehow.

"Morning Gwen."

"Same to you Ianto."

Ianto hurried past her towards the coffee maker. He looked better than he had in what seemed like a long time. Gwen noticed his stature was regaining pose and the lean weight on his bones was filling out in positive ways. She assumed that Jack was taking care of him or forcing Ianto to do what was necessary. In a twisted Torchwood kind of way they were all beginning to live again. Of course having Rhys as part of the team now helped. He arrived half an hour before her and set to tidying the tourist office and the archives. Gwen could hear him whistling to himself as he returned brandishing a towel that smelled like silver polish.

_Half the time the world is ending_

_Truth is I am done pretending_

_I never thought that I had anymore to give_

_Pushing me so far_

_Here I am without you_

_Drink to all that we have lost_

_Mistakes we have made_

_Everything will change_

_But love remains the same_

"Morning, and what have you been up to?"

"Oh, this and that. Ianto, mate, how do you keep all the dust away from the files? It seems to dirty every day."

Ianto looked over from the steaming coffee machine, his stress relief and something he would not give over to Rhys. "And you wonder how I kept busy all day. Well, you're free to have it. Just leave the filing system be."

"I haven't touched the filing system. No one could have done it better."

Gwen's eyes flipped upward. Jack was watching the three with a silent emotion passing over his face, clouding whatever thought was gathering behind his eyes. He moved back towards his desk just as quickly and immersed himself in some paperwork or another.

_Find the place where we escape_

_Take you with me for the space_

_The city bus that sounds just like a fridge_

_Walked the streets through seven bars_

_I had to find just where you are_

_The faces seem to blur_

_They're all the same_

"The alarm is about to go off." Ianto wiped his hands from his trousers and stopped the machine as the last cup was pouring.

Gwen was interjecting with a questioning face when the alarm did indeed begin shrieking and echoing all throughout the Hub.

"How does he bloody always know?" Gwen shrugged and followed Rhys to Tosh's old workstation. Ianto was gracefully moving across the keys. Windows were popping in and out of the desktop and Gwen soon decided to stop trying to keep up with them all. Alien encodings, weather maps, charts, graphs, and all manner of things. Ianto grinned like a little child as he enveloped the information.

"What do we have?"

Gwen forced herself not to jump. It had taken a bit of practice the first couple of times Jack had moved close to her silently. He and Ianto both had the grace of silent cats and you might hear neither coming if not for their perchance for ripping clothes off of each other on various occasions. She should know. She'd walked in on them often enough.

_Half the time the world is ending_

_Truth is I am done pretending_

_I never thought that I had anymore to give_

_Pushing me so far_

_Here I am without you_

_Drink to all that we have lost_

_Mistakes we have made_

_Everything will change_

_But love remains the same_

"Visitors pouring out of the Rift. I've got signatures leading to this underground train terminal right here." Ianto pointed to the screen, his finger enveloping the name of the town. "Rhys, take the console across and get some footage, yeah?"

"They have terminal cameras in that part of the town?"

"We do."

"Just like the Boy Scouts. We're always prepared."

"What are you talking about Jack?" Gwen took a sip of her coffee.

"I've got feed for you Ianto."

"Good, I've got remote access. We'll just match this against the database Tosh and I installed at the end of last year..."

There was a sound of gears whirring and pages flipping as the computer moved through the program's motions. Jack inhaled sharply through his nose when the composites brought results he didn't like.

_We shall overcome_

_We should have had the sun_

_Could have been inside_

_Instead we're over here_

"Know them Jack?"

"Gwen, those are not the kind of creatures you want to know. Ianto, find out how old they are. If they are teenagers out for a joyride then we need to move now."

"Why, what's so deadly about them? They just look like big porcupines."

"There skin is made of a material that, when fed oxygen, becomes radioactive and combustible. Well, piece of cake then."

"Where did you learn that from Rhys?"

"Remote access works both ways, love."

"Ummm...Jack..."

"Okay, we'd better move. Why do they always want to vacation here? Rhys stay behind and monitor the feed. I want to know what they are doing and when they are doing it. If we can keep them isolated then we won't have much clean-up. Speaking of which..."

"I'm on it."

"Thanks Ianto. Gwen, weapons check. They're invulnerable to most bullets but if you could grab the green and blue case in locker twelve, we can modify a couple of the revolvers."

It was like old times when everyone went into action towards an unknown object. Gwen worked hard to suppress a smile as they all piled into the SUV and raced through the city. Rhys voice crackled over the blue tooth connection.

"Jack, we've got a problem. Another signature is moving through the Rift. But it's not like the other signatures."

"Gang warfare Jack?"

"Not quite. Can you catch the signal Rhys?"

"It's odd. It's pointed, almost like a..."

"Teleporter?"

"Right."

"Mmm...Maybe the parents found the car missing. This might be more fun than we thought. They throw some killer parties on that planet. I remember one time when I woke up with..."

"Turn left here."

There was no one milling about the station. Jack could hear music floating from the underground, but he assessed it as an old guitar. Lo and behold, a blind man was playing it and just sitting, propped up against a pillar. An old coffee can was set before him, but there was no change therein.

"Rhys, what kind of readings do we have?"

His voice crackled and the earth seemed to swallow up every other word. Jack tapped the side of his comm link and swore under his breath.

"We're on our own here?"

"I can't get a signal from him. Somethings blocking it."

"Whatever teleported in is my wager."

"Most likely. Move cautiously. Gwen, you have the box with you?"

"Well, yes Jack, but I don't see what..."

"Just attach the scope to the end of the revolver. That will be enough for now." Two sideways shot glasses clipped to Gwen's weapon. She frowned, not quite believing that this could actually do any good. They moved slowly, the sound of her flats echoing across the tile floor.

"Should that man get out?"

"He'll be fine. These guys are tone deaf anyways."

"Jack, what are we looking for?"

"Over here." Ianto's voice was trained to his right. There was a sort of shadow against the wall that seemed like a cross between a porcupine and a large centipede. "I believe I've found our guests."

Jack did some quick calculation in his head. "Ianto, stay right there and monitor the shadow. Gwen, I want you to fire a shot at a left angle towards the opposite wall."

"You want me to shoot at a cement wall?"

"You don't trust me? I'm offended."

Gwen rolled her eyes back and then steadied her aim. What shot from her weapon made her jump back just slightly. It was like a cross between a laser beam and some very expired jello.

"I'm not cleaning that up."

"You shouldn't have to Ianto. Any difference on the shadow?"

"About a third of it is missing."

"Good. Fire again Gwen."

"Jack?"

"Now come on. Have a bit of faith, yeah?"

A scream accompanied the second shot and Jack began to speak in clicks. Several rapid clicks returned to him and his face made a little bit of an oh sound.

"Yeah, we might want to run."

The sound of the guitar switched ears as they jumped over the legs of the blind man, still fiddling away on his instrument. The sound of clicks and grumbles followed them, but there was no creature. Ianto looked sideways against the wall to find the shadow following them.

"We're going into a dead end."

"Nonsense Ianto," Jack exclaimed between breaths, "I know exactly where I'm..." They stopped at a tiled wall of an abandoned bathroom.

"Jack, what do we do now?"

"Back the other way."

"Towards the creature?"

"You say that like I don't know what I'm doing."

"But you don't know what you're doing, Ianto are you...men." Gwen followed Ianto who had shrugged and moved back towards the entrance with the Captain. His trajectory was different this time and she noted that they seemed to be playing a game of tag with the stone pillars of the building. It wasn't until she felt the wind of bars and the pock marks of dust flying away from the pillars that she realized why...

"Jack..."

"I know Ianto."

"Didn't you say these weren't hostile creatures?"

"Not by nature. But some teenagers are just angry."

"Oh great. We get the interplanetary goth set. Any more bright ideas?"

"Not firing again. I could try diplomacy?"

"And we all know where your diplomacy got us last time."

"Hey! I can be very suave when I need to be."

Ianto just rolled his eyes and pointed his weapon at the creature materializing before him. A centipede, a roach and a porcupine. The creature was becoming more zoologically inundated by the second.

The sound of a rushing train and a train whistle assaulted their ears. "Jack, I thought you said this was an abandoned rail station."

"It is!"

Gwen felt something grab the back of her shirt and watched herself helplessly bump into Jack, who was currently getting himself untangled from Ianto. Her eyes went wide when she saw a man with a machete and a red coat beating the creature into submission. He turned and looked at the Torchwood team, incredibly confused as they were, and then smiled before he vanished in a flash of golden light.

"John Hart?"

_Half the time the world is ending_

_Truth is I am done pretending_

_I never thought that I had anymore to give_

_Pushing me so far_

_Here I am without you_

_Drink to all that we have lost_

_Mistakes we have made_

_Everything will change_

_But love remains the same_

C/N: I am not now nor have I ever been Gavin Rossdale, Bush, or even Gwen Stefani (his wife). He's pretty hot though and this song is really cool. I suggest you look up the vid on youtube.


	8. Chapter 8

John Hart's ship was orbiting just outside of satellite range. If he squinted and turned himself sideways, he could almost see the Millennium Tower from his window. The cold darkness of space swirled around him, unaffected. He was feeling his age, a sort of racking guilt ever since Grey had forced him into servitude and then let him lose again after causing all that mayhem.

_I left out in a cloud of taillights and dust  
Swore I wasn't coming back said I'd had enough_

It had been that glaring sentence. "I had let you go free." Maybe it was age, or maybe it was something worse. Seeing his old partner so happy and so, well, free of all the things that had been destroying them both and tethering them together through spite and manipulation. John wasn't even sure if he actually liked Jack or just liked knowing he was around. It made you feel safer somehow having him near.

_Saw you in the rear view standing, fading from my life  
But I wasn't turning around, no, not this time_

The sudden surge of adrenaline from saving the Torchwood do-gooders from the teens, now snarling in his cargo hold while he called their parents, had made him feel unexpectedly young. He missed the thrill of war. It was the only place he felt useful. He regretted his hasty actions of leaving after Tosh and Owen had been killed. There wasn't much he could have done, but seeing them now...he just knew.

_Don't think I don't think about it  
Don't think I don't have regrets_

For all his life he had ran. When Jack had been captured by four executioners, he had abandoned him and dived into the surging crowd calling for the con man's blood. When they had both been seduced by the triplets on Neva into working for the underground Telluride system, he had only objected right before they had flayed his skin. But seeing Eye Candy and Poodle and Jack again, god help him, had left him feeling something. It had hurt. More than the teleportation, it had all hurt. Like his heart had begun beating again.

_Don't think it don't get to me  
Between the work, and the hurt and the whiskey_

John Hart knew he was not a good person and there was no one to argue with the fact. He had saved them. That counted for something didn't it? God, how he felt right now. It was worse than after that hyper martini drinking competition he had participated in with Jack and Odessa. How Jack had finally won he couldn't even remember. Just the feeling of Odessa's hips and legs combined with his as Jack snored away nearby gave him goosebumps.

_Don't think I don't worry about  
Coulda been shoulda been all worked out_

_I know what I felt  
I know what i said  
But don't think I don't think about it_

John was tired of being the intergalactic slut. He also figured that if Jack could find redeeming values in Earth than so could he. But after surveying all the potential of the cultures, he wondered why Jack wouldn't just want to go back to the fifty first century and find him. They were repressed here. Yes, there was a great potential but it was so stifled by the multitude of conflicting voices. The alarm sounded on his craft. He had one choice.

_We make choices we gotta live with them  
Heard you found a real good man and you married him_

_I wonder if sometimes  
I cross your mind  
Where would we be today  
If I never drove that car away_

Give it all up and surrender to Jack. Learn what it means to be good, responsible, to love something other than yourself. Of course, he'd never give up his stunning repertoire of barbs and calling Ianto "Eye Candy" would never end. It was just too delicious for him to pass up. The old ship's health was finally failing. Too many trips through the Rift and across pleasure galaxies. Too many boardings by nasty alien threats. Just too much for one ship and one man.

_Don't think I don't think about it  
Don't think I don't have regrets_

_Don't think it don't get to me  
Between the work, and the hurt and the whiskey_

John Hart wasn't sure how to say it or feel it, but he needed Jack Harkness. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it. He'd teleport one last time back to Earth. John typed a command into the console and pressed a large red button. There was no going back. The voice of Shelly hummed throughout the console. The teen's parent ship was on view in the console as he teleported them back to their parents. Fifteen minutes until self-destruct.

_Don't think I don't worry about  
Coulda been shoulda been all worked out_

_I know what I felt  
I know what i said  
But don't think I don't think about it_

C/N: The song is a new hit by Darius Rucker (of Hootie and the Blowfish fame).


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't wanna talk_

_About things we've gone through_

_Though it's hurting me_

_Now it's history_

The memory of a stale, blank room. The non-existant voice of a woman in white. And the feeling of a sharp needle caressing and shifting throughout her hair. This had all happened before, but it had all been so different. She wouldn't be retconned this time, although the nurse probably would if she couldn't think of a more convincing lie.

_I've played all my cards_

_And that's what you've done to_

_Nothing more to say_

_No ace left to play_

Normally, Torchwood operative would report to their covert doctors. But her covert doctor was, well, dead. There was no polite way to put it. Technically he was dead now twice, although the second time hurt a hell of a lot more than the first. Almost as much as Rhys not being able to forgive her. That was all she had wanted.

_The winner takes it all_

_The loser standing small_

_Beside the victory_

_That's her destiny_

But the feeling of him being there was still so present in her life and she hated that. The way she would chuckle at a snarky joke. The way she would watch Rhys move and wish he could lose a few pounds or look a little less like a lumbering bear. And the way she felt guilty for it all. The way she walked past his apartment which was now not technically his apartment anymore. It hadn't felt that way right after he had died either.

_I was in your arms_

_Thinking I belonged there_

_I figured it made sense_

_Building me a fence_

Gwen sat at her desk, staring blankly down at the paperwork. She was dimly aware of Ianto refilling the coffee cup that sat in one of her hands. She was also dimly aware that she nodded back to him and tried to return the smile. But her face hurt when she mustered a smile. She couldn't bull doze through the police work either, refused to talk to witnesses anymore. She felt cold and dead in some ways. But Jack was sure she'd wake up. She'd told him that a week before.

_Building me a home_

_Thinking I'd be strong there_

_But I was a fool_

_Playing by the rules_

Human life and its frailty, she thought as she moved back in her chair and addressed her paperwork. She thought of Suzie and how consumed she'd become. She thought of Toshiko and how much she'd blossomed. Of Ianto and how well, Ianto was kind of a word unto himself. Jack and his mysterious ways. Owen literally had to be fired and then had to die to finally leave Torchwood. What would happen to her? What would happen to Rhys? It was only natural progression that...

_Tell me does she kiss_

_Like I used to kiss you_

_Does it feel the same_

_When she calls your name_

But she wouldn't think about that now. Gwen forced herself to concentrate on the buzzing sound of her phone and then on Jack peering from outside his office in her direction. She smiled weakly again and answered in her most polite voice.

"Hello?"

"Gwen? This is Andy. We think you'd better get down here."

"We? Who's we? And where is here?"

"They've finally gotten through to the center of the power plant, Gwen. Seems as though they found two things that survived the blast. I decided to call you before you get an official call. I think I can hold them for about fifteen minutes."

_The judges will decide_

_The likes of me abide_

_Spectators at the show_

_Always staying low_

"I'll be right there."

"And where are you off to?" Jack's voice had a ring of suspicion to it.

"Just out. It's nothing. Rhys needs me to pick up a couple of things..." her voice trailed off and her unsuccessful lie didn't convince Jack.

"Okay. But keep your phone on."

"I understand, Jack. Just half an hour and I'll be back."

Ianto followed the sound of the alarm as he moved back to Jack's office.

"She lied to you." Ianto handed Jack a cup of coffee.

"I know. But call it my gut instinct."

"You don't think she's bound for trouble?"

"She always is. But that's part of what I love about... this species."

"You are human, Jack."

"I'm a different sort of human."

"Well, that might be putting it lightly." Ianto sat across from Jack, popping off his shoes and allowing his feet to elevate over Jack's paperwork. He sensed a story coming on.

_The game is on again_

_A lover or a friend_

_In all things big or small_

_The winner takes it all_

Gwen tried not to race. It wouldn't do to be pulled over. There simply wasn't enough time, even if she could avoid a ticket simply by being Torchwood.

She had always imagined the scene somehow, but nothing prepared her for its actuality. The way the buildings in the area that were left seemed to bend and melt in the sky. The sickly feeling that pulsed over her body. The sweat in her palms and the sticky words filling her throat. She forced her grip on the steering wheel as she reached the familiar yellow police tape crossed with red hazardous team tape.

_The gods may throw the dice_

_Their minds as cold as ice_

_And someone way down here_

_Loses someone dear_

No one questioned her being there. Her pose struck a formidable cord in those who bothered watching her. Andy stood just outside the zone and watched a slight breeze cross against her hair, her Welsh features showing pain and strength in the same swift move. He marveled, momentarily against speaking.

_Somewhere deep inside_

_You must know I miss you_

_But what can I say_

_Rules must be obeyed_

It was new technology that allowed Gwen to see the contents of the bag without becoming radioactive herself. No one knew quite how it worked, but Gwen had a suspicion that Jack might have been involved. Mysterious helpful things didn't just appear at police stations overnight. Well, unless you were in Cardiff.

_I don't wanna talk_

_Because it makes me feel sad_

_And I understand_

_You've come to shake my hand_

She blinked, hoping the wind would cover the tears. But they just couldn't, just wouldn't.

"We don't know how they survived Gwen. But it looks as though it was something you might have wanted. Did you know him?"

_I apologize_

_If it makes you feel bad_

_Seeing me so tense_

_No self-confidence_

"I did, Andy. I did know him." Gwen moved the bag through her hands, watching the metal of the dog tags she had bought him as a joke birthday present clink against his indestructable Torchwood id. The picture of Owen there was so young. The last tokens of a man that she might have loved or might have been comforted by. Neither mattered now because this was all that was left. And Gwen was determined that it would not be going into storage. Gwen felt a surge of strength from the thought, like a small piece of her pride was returning.

_But you see_

_The winner takes it all_


	10. Chapter 10

"Ianto Jones? Are you getting friendly with your boss?"

"We'll see how this conversation goes." Jack raised an eyebrow against Ianto's comment.

_Once I rose above the noise and confusion  
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion  
I was soaring ever higher  
But I flew too high  
_

"Well, isn't that a switch from Mr. Sexual Harassment pamphlet?"

Ianto leaned forward, taking his feet off the desk. He moved in close to Jack. "I think we've gone way beyond the pamphlet, sir."

_Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man  
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man  
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming  
I can hear them say_

Jack leaned into Ianto and returned the whisper. "How far beyond?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

"But you're no magician." A devilish grin passed Jack's face as he thought about those pair of handcuffs and that one time...Ianto shook his head, guessing at why Jack's eyes were beginning to glaze over.

_Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more_

"Focus sir. Gwen could come back any moment."

"She always did seem to like catching us, didn't she?"

"Five times. Each time she watched for approximately 4.3 seconds more." Ianto looked down at his step watch, doing a quick bit of calculation.

_Masquerading as a man with a reason  
My charade is the event of the season  
And if I claim to be a wise man, well  
It surely means that I don't know  
_

Jack leaned over the desk to look at the bronze, circular figure in Ianto's hand. "Where were you hiding that thing when she came in?"

Ianto smiled wickedly. "A magician does not reveal his secrets, Jack. Must you make me repeat myself?"

"I've done so on several occasions." Jack leaned back in his captain's chair and picked up a pen that he began twirling through his fingers.

"Oh no. Put the pen down. I'm not falling for that again."

_On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean  
I set a course for winds of fortune  
But I hear the voices say_

"What did you call me?"

"Sir, I'd like to hear the story of what you were talking about."

"Which time?" Jack obliged Ianto and placed the pen back in his little silver cup on the desk. He folded his hands together.

"Right before Gwen left. You once hinted at it. The Doctor I believe. He called you..."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "Unnatural. He called me unnatural. And that hurt. Not quite as much as being left behind..."

Ianto snorted quietly. "Sorry, sir. Couldn't help that."

Jack smiled. "You do know what it feels like to be left behind."

"You forgot?"

"No. I just didn't want to be reminded." Jack shifted in his chair with slight discomfort.

_Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more_

"Carry on then..."

"Oh yes! The Doctor...are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Jack. You discovered a half-converted ex-girlfriend of mine and a pterodactyl that I lured just for the purpose of coming to Torchwood. If we have any secrets from each other then they're the ones I've been retconned from remembering. Besides, I hear enough tidbits during your fitful sleep..."

"You watch me sleep?"

Ianto blushed as he looked down. "I can't help myself sometimes."

Jack smiled and moved swiftly across the desk. His hands reached for Ianto's head, pulling it back up and giving each eye contact with the other. "That's one of the reasons I love you."

"Then let me in." Ianto begged as Jack turned toward the blinds, looking over his domain and straightening himself a little.

"The Doctor is like no one you've ever met. For that matter, neither is anyone who travels with him. And the Doctor only chooses the best. Why he chose me is beyond my comprehension. It probably had something to do with Rose."

"Rose?"

"They were pulled to London at the height of the Blitz. I was running a con on an old Chula war ambulance. Thing was that I was stupid enough to open the ambulance. Nearly got the entire Earth killed. They rescued me though. Helped me to become the dashing hero you see before you."

"I've always said you were very dashing."

Jack moved back to his own chair and settled. His feet joined Ianto's feet, both claiming areas of the desk. Ianto smiled, glad to finally hear some of the story.

"Rose was terrific. As jaded and sarcastic as I was and as cold and detached as the Doctor was, she could bring out the best in either of us. She was a flower and helped others to bloom. Rose just lived her namesake. She remained bright and confident in any adversity. Almost like Gwen, but just with something more to it."

_Carry on, you will always remember  
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor  
The center lights around your vanity  
But surely heaven waits for you_

Ianto nodded, urging Jack to continue.

"They were the perfect match for each other. She was able to help him reclaim his very soul and he gave her purpose and strength. They must have been in love. He even tried to save her during the war with the Daleks. But she just wouldn't go. And even I paid a price for it."

"She's the reason you're immortal."

Jack smiled. "You're sometimes scary when you're that sharp, Ianto. But yes, she is the reason. At the heart of our spaceship, the Tardis, is the Time Vortex. Even Time Lords only glance at it once. It gives them the whole of time to run through their minds, helps them regenerate, and does something to them that I can only akin to evolution. It made the Doctor the man he was when they met."

"And what about you?"

"I got left behind. You see, a human isn't supposed to absorb the Vortex and she did. She did it to save him and she would have died. I understand now, after all those years of hate and mistrust, the hows and the whys of what happened on the Game station. She willed me back to life, making me a fixed point in time. But at least I'll see her again before I die."

"But you can't die."

"Even the power of the Time Vortex and her will can't keep me running forever, Ianto. Not forever."

_Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)_

"So what song is she on the playlist?"

"You looked at my mp3 player?" Ianto turned his head down and Jack continued. "I gave them a matching playlist, Ianto. And it seemed so appropriate when I heard it. It fits them both so well. Carry on, my wayward son..."

Jack began to sing and Ianto closed his eyes, imagining them both standing in the room and laughing about old times and adventures he'd never even see.


	11. Chapter 11

"The height of the London blitz and the nanobots were all around us. I caught Rose as she was falling from a zeppelin wearing a Union Jack t-shirt." Jack paused for a moment before stuffing a chip into his mouth.

_Met a man on the street last night_

_Said his name was Jesus_

_Met a man on the street last night_

"How?" Rhys leaned over his fish, which Ianto noted was indeed greasy enough to flood the table.

"Tractor beam."

"Jack! You're making this stuff up!" Gwen threw a chip in his direction.

"I am not. Look, the old Chula ship I had tethered to Big Ben just happened to be in the right spot."

"Bet you he stared at her ass first." Ianto sharped his eyes in Rhys' direction.

"Well, I did see her through binoculars." Jack shrugged as if it had meant nothing. After all, she had been the Doctor's companion more than his.

"And what about those nanobots, then?" Gwen crossed her arms, not really hungry and more interested in the story. Jack had really begun to open up ever since they'd witnessed Hart return, seemingly just showing up to each new case as they arrived.

_Thought he was crazy_

_Til I watched him heal a blind man_

_I watched him heal a blind man_

_And now I see_

"Here's where I admit I don't know everything." Jack seemed to sink into his chair a bit. "Seems those nanobots are how the Chula fix each other. So what I took as an empty ambulance wasn't exactly empty. I might have kind of almost ended up ending the human race. Anyone for dessert? Ianto?"

"What do you mean kind of ending the human race?"

"It was nothing. Just a bomb that almost obliterated us all. That's all. I swooped in at the last moment and almost died a dashing hero. Rose saved me." Jack tilted his beer as if toasting her. Ianto sensed there was more to the story.

Which there was. Jack had edited out the part about the man he'd been seeing in the British air force. Watching him transformed by the nanobots had frightened both Jack and the man. When Jack thought he was to die, he thought it a pity that Charles couldn't have been there. He was one of the more receptive humans Jack had ever met. And he could do this thing with his left leg that could make you spill your brandy.

There was a sharp beep that erupted from Ianto's phone. It was the internal alarm linked to the computer system alert. Ianto moved quickly and typed in a few numbers on the console to the left of the screen. Jack swiveled to meet the information and his eyes widened.

"What does that mean?" Rhys was pretty sure that rogue weather patters were nothing to be worried about. That is, until he watched Gwen drop a chip headed in the direction of her mouth and shudder.

"Jack."

"It can't be Gwen. They've not had Jasmine yet a year." Ianto's reasoning was calm, but Gwen's eyes were still the size of small moons.

Jack sighed. "We go to check this out. But at the first sign of fairies we regroup and move. I don't want anyone else dealing with them!"

Gwen spoke very quietly. "No Jack. No one wants to deal with them."

_Met a girl in a chair with wheels_

_But no one else could see her_

_Met a girl in a chair with wheels_

Rhys glanced at his wife. "Fairies? Like happy, glowing women fairies?"

Gwen took him by the arm as they went toward the armory. "I should explain a few things about them before we leave. You see..."

Ianto put his hand to Jack's shoulder. "It's nothing, Jack. They couldn't need another so soon. And this time I'm sure they'll be more forgiving if it is."

"I shouldn't have made that choice."

"Don't say that, Jack. You had to. If it makes you feel any better, you'll always have me." Jack kissed Ianto hard and swift.

"How was I ever not in love with you?"

"Minor lapse of judgment, sir. Shall we go?" Jack smiled and nodded, following Ianto out of the room.

Jack drove faster than even normal for his taste, gripping the wheel. No one deserved what happened to Estelle. Finding her in such a feeble state when she had always had so much life and wonder. Sure, she had gone looking for magic in the wrong places. And maybe she hadn't understood the depth of what she had found.

_Everyone was so afraid_

_To even look down on her_

_She just spread her little wings_

_And flew away_

But Estelle had always been beautiful, even in her last days. The scent of lilac and roses hung about her, Jack could still smell them some moments, and she had been so dedicated and feisty working as an Army nurse and then in several primary schools on the nursing staff. She had worn shoes than never made any noise and had always remained fashionable to some extent. How Jack had wanted to marry her. But immortals don't marry. There must have been a rule about that.

Gwen pointed from the back seat and Jack made a sharp turn to the right, following the information she was tracking on her screen. Rhys was keeping track of the roads up front with him. Ianto was making sure all technology was up to date and ready to use in the back. Although with fairies, which was hopefully not the case, it would not matter.

The clouds swooped dark and low around the SUV. They came to a power plant station erupting with electricity. It emanated in all directions, little stabs of it making the skin on the back of Gwen's neck shiver. They walked forth into the wind, ready for action. Torchwood Three version two point one found a young man with burning eyes looking for help.

Gwen approached the young man with outstretched hands first. She was the best at talking, one of her primary skills. The boy was young, like Eugene. She pushed the thought from her mind. "Hello. My name is Gwen Cooper and what's yours?"

"Stay back!" The young man jumped away a little and a fire to the right of the group lit far away.

_Met a kid on a bridge last night_

_Contemplating freedom_

_Met a kid on a bridge last night_

Ianto piped in. "We have an identification match. His name is Everett, Robbin Everett. Works at a used auto parts dealership."

"What am I?"

Jack approached gingerly, pushing Gwen back near Rhys. "It's okay, son. Robbin. That's a nice name. Can I call you Robbin?"

"Make the hurting stop. Please." His voice shivered in the night and something inside Gwen swore that he looked at Jack.

_He said I'm tired of this maddening life_

_And I'm ready to go meet Jesus_

_And I said, "He's a friend of mine_

_Met him just last night_

_And it's alright."_

"I'd love to. Can you tell us what happened?"

There was a gust of wind and Rhys grabbed Gwen before she went flying. "Jack!"

Gwen thought of Eugene and how in control people could not seem to be when fused with technology. The pendant Tosh received, Beth and the sleeper cell, those butchers with the space whale, and the list just became so long. Some days it was such a disaster. That's why Torchwood was so necessary. Otherwise the entire world would have offed itself already. Twice most likely.

_I'll live this life until this life_

_Won't let me live here anymore_

_And I will walk, yes I will walk_

_With patience through that open door_

Jack turned from Gwen back to young Robbin. "Robbin, can you focus? Tell us what happened?"

"I don't...I don't remember. Picked up a piece of odd scrap metal. Wrapped around my arm like a serpent. God, I thought it was foil. But it burns! It hurts! Help me!"

A bolt stepped from the sky and Ianto stood not ten centimeters from where it landed. His eyes grew wide as he tapped furiously away at his mobile computer.

"Mistorine weather bracelet. Robbin, can you tell me which arm it's on?"

"It wound around my left."

"Okay, Robbin. I'm going to come over to you and take the band from you. Ianto! Find me the code sequence for the Unit mainframe!"

"Jack! What are you going to do?"

"This is non-negotiable, Gwen! We're lucky this young man's contained it thus far!"

_I have no fears_

_Angels follow me wherever I may go_

Jack took several steps forwards. The air crackled around the boy and Jack managed a smile to try and comfort young Robbin. Unfortunately, Robbin's eyes were so blinded by lightning that he couldn't see. "How about that code, Ianto?"

"4-4-3, sir!"

"Jack!"

"Gwen, get ready to come over and catch him when he falls." Jack had met only one Mistorine. They were too wise and too in love with controlling everything on their planet. The weather bracelet was far too dangerous for them and even more so for a human. This boy must be remarkable, like so many that Jack had met along the way. Another momentary hero on an empty stage.

_I'll live this life_

_Until this life won't let me live here anymore_

Jack was able to input the code and felt his heart racing with all the electricity pounding in the connection between the young man and himself. He could feel the burning inching throughout his core as he finished the sequence. The Mistorine were known for their sense of humour in choosing codes as well. But, as he felt himself die, and revive two hours later in the autopsy bay, he figured it was worth it. The young man shivered next to him, drinking his hot cocoa and retcon.


	12. Chapter 12

I remember the first moment I passed Galley's Record Shoppe. Now, naturally, I was in a bit of hurry. That's what happens when you're chasing down the other members of your team after a rogue time agent splits you up. Or maybe not? I can't say how the other remaining Torchwood branches run their operations.

_I may not always love you_

_As long as there are stars above you_

Anyways, Tosh and I were going out for our weekly lunch and we pass down a certain street and it all clicks in my head. Normally I pay attention to such clicking and I slowed down. Tosh was just happy for non-snarky company and the day was relatively sane with a light breeze and dappled sunshine. Bless her heart, Tosh had even bought us ice cream cones as we strolled.

_You'll never need to doubt it_

_I'll make you so sure about it_

So we pass Galley's window and I stop to look inside. It's so makeshift and tye-dye and random; some might call it archaic beauty. I suppose I've been a fan of things like that since Van Gogh or maybe those dotted portraits. I can't remember. It was a time ago in a world far away. Tosh, of course, is two doors down at the electronics shop and we had to drag each other out of our respective stores.

_God only knows what I'd be without you_

That must have been at least six months ago. Tosh never went back to the electronic shoppe, but I've become a regular here at Galley's. When Jack insisted I spend some money on myself, I bought a turntable and started collecting albums. I was more attracted to covers than to the music at first, but then I started to really listen. Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, the Hollies, the Who. Masterful, so full of life and angst. So much wanting of simple things. I can really relate.

_If love should ever leave me_

_Life would still go on believe me_

Now don't get me wrong. It's just a passing fancy, really. I could take it or leave it. I'm not going to be spinning base at a club any time soon. However, I am on a first name basis with Tony, the slightly scary looking guy that works here. I suppose anyone that would wear a mohawk is looking to be seen as scary. But Tony is so intelligent and knows so much about very diverse types of music. Hum the first three notes of a Diana Ross song and he'll tell you other artists with the same type of sound and even an odd fact about how she might have been related to Tony Bennett. Don't look at me like that. Anything is possible, you know?

_The world could show nothing to me_

_So what good would loving do me?_

So now, here I am, sifting through a randomized collection of beloved classics. Jack's pseudo-birthday, the one he and Gwen agreed on after she heckled him off and on for three weeks, is on the horizon. I've gone past the special gold phase of our relationship. This is about knowing him, and pretty is good but pretty functional is better. He doesn't know about the turntable, but he can suspect. I've begun decorating my walls with album art and old concert posters. He's even caught me humming the Police.

_God only knows where I'd be without you._

I can't decide what's appropriate to get him. He can be vague. Even the glance at his player gave me no clue to one solid amount of taste. So, Tony and I are knee-deep in rock and mo-town territory when Tony holds up the perfect album. I turn it in my hands. I do wish it were "Kokomo" but something about this seems more perfect. More applicable. Much like my wardrobe, what would fit Jack better than a classic song with a bit of risk to it. God only knows where I'd be without him.


End file.
